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Idaho Gov. Brad Little began the state’s 2025 legislative session on Monday by calling for additional investments in public schools, new tax cuts and bonuses for wildland firefighters.
You are viewing: Idaho governor calls for funding for public schools, tax cuts and investments in wildfire fighting • Idaho Capital Sun
When he delivered the annual State of the State address Monday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Little repeatedly evoked a theme of “keeping promises.”
“We also promised and delivered unprecedented investments in schools, the American worker, water, roads, fire, outdoor recreation, and other infrastructure without raising taxes,” Little said. “My keeping promises plan builds on those investments by adding more support for schools — on top of the 80 percent increase in state funding we championed for education since I took office.”
READ THE TEXT: Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s 2025 State of the State address
Most of the proposals Little highlighted in the annual speech were enhancements of programs he has embraced since Little was first elected in 2018.
Increasing funding for public schools, providing raises for teachers, cutting taxes, reducing regulations and bolstering state savings accounts all featured heavily in the speech.
The Idaho Legislature actually sets the state budget each year, so Little will have to work with legislators in order to enact any budget priorities.
Governor calls for using $50 million to expand education options for Idaho families
But for the first time, Little left the door open for spending taxpayer dollars on tuition at private or religious schools.
While most of the funding Little proposed for education is for public schools, Little also called for leaving “$50 million to further expand educational options for Idaho families.”
Little did not specify how the money should be spent. But for years prominent Republican legislators including House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star; Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls; and Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, have been pushing for the creation of a refundable tax credit or education savings accounts that would allow taxpayer dollars to be spent paying for or reimbursing families for tuition or other expenses at private schools or religious schools.
Until now, Idaho has not spent taxpayer dollars for tuition at private or religious schools.
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“Just like we do with every taxpayer dollar that is spent in government, we will ensure there is oversight in school choice,” Little said in Monday’s State of the State address. “Why? Because accountability in government is an Idaho value, and it is what taxpayers demand and deserve. Just as we expect the following from our public schools, any school choice measure I would consider must be done the Idaho way, which means it is fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable. It must prioritize the families that need it most and it must not take funds away from public schools.”
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House GOP leadership reacts to governor’s State of the State address
In a news conference after Gov. Brad Little’s State of the State address, House Republican leadership previewed state lawmakers priorities for the 2025 legislative session.
House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, told reporters he’d like to see a lot more tax relief than in recent years — and less spending. While the governor announced a proposal for $100 million to cut taxes, Moyle said he’d like to see three times that in tax relief.
And Moyle said a proposed bill this year would direct state agencies to review Idaho’s statutes in the hopes of cleaning up state law, similar to the governor’s zero-based rulemaking initiative that has drawn national attention.
When Gov. Little unveiled his support for $50 million in state funds that could be funneled toward private schools, he stressed that the proposal would need accountability. Asked what accountability measures would look like, Moyle said he wants to know what the governor wants.
“But we want to make sure the money’s going to the child. We want to make sure that those schools … are certified and they’re doing a good job,” Moyle said.
House Assistant Majority Leader Jason Monks, R-Meridian, said parents are most accountable for their kids’ education.
“There’s not a bureaucrat out there who cares more about my child’s education than me,” he said.
But Monks said lawmakers would work with the governor on sideboards, and that he thinks lawmakers can find solutions that “satisfy his desires as well as ours.”
On immigration, Majority Caucus Chair Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, plans to re-introduce his bill from the 2024 legislative session that would’ve created a state crime for illegal immigration.
“We saw that at the end of session. We ran out of time to get it across the Senate side, but there’s great support from the governor’s office as well as the Senate and the House to get that bill back,” Crane told reporters.
Moyle also said election security bills are planned, including bills that would require more disclosure for who is behind electioneering communications, establish criminal liability for “malicious” lies in elections, and to require more disclosure in lobbying and nonprofits involved in elections.
Little’s state budget proposal includes 4.6% increase, record rainy day funds
In conjunction with his State of the State address, Little released a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget on Monday. The budget proposal includes $5.2 billion in general fund expenditures, a 4.6% increase from the current budget.
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Little’s budget proposal leaves a $200 million ending balance at the end of the fiscal year and a record $1.4 billion saved in state rainy day funds.
Some of the budget proposals put forward Monday include:
- $150 million in new funding for public school, including $50 million for rural school renovating rural school facilities, mental health services and school safety.
- $100 million to cut taxes. Little didn’t issue a specific proposal for how to cut taxes, or which taxes to target, but he will work with the Idaho Legislature to come up with the details.
- $100 million to fight wildfires. Little called for $1 million in bonuses to retain firefighters and provide funding for the state’s fire suppression account.
- $83 million in additional funding for teacher pay increases
- $30 million in additional funding for water infrastructure projects.
- 5% change in employee compensation pay increases for state employees.
“On the heels of a destructive fire season, our keeping promises plan also deploys additional bonuses to hire and retain wildland firefighters,” Little said. “Our firefighters battle dangerous conditions to protect lives, property, and our natural resources. Please recognize a few of these tough Idahoans we have with us today. I am also asking the Legislature to properly fund the fire suppression account so these firefighters know we’ve got their back.”
“Last summer, I called out the feds for not putting out wildfires more aggressively,” Little said. “The state of Idaho leads on fire and forest management where the feds have failed. Idahoans are tired of choking on smoke for weeks on end. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to boldly transform how wildfire and our Western lands are managed.”
Little spoke of his eagerness to work with President-elect Donald Trump and the new administration, mentioning Trump 10 times in the 22-minute speech.
What wasn’t addressed: Idaho Democrats respond to State of the State address
Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, of Boise, said in a press conference after the governor’s address that the Idaho Democratic Caucus is particularly concerned about efforts to implement proposals that would use public dollars for private education, calling the term “school choice” a euphemism for what those proposals would actually do.
Rubel said the caucus was disappointed in the governor’s push $50 million “to further expand educational options for Idaho families.”
The caucus also discussed issues that were not brought up in Little’s speech. Rubel said proposals to transfer federal public lands to state ownership – and potential privatization – is a concern for all Idahoans who fish, camp, raft and graze cattle. In October, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, along with officials from 12 other states, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to transfer 9 million acres of federal land to the state, the Utah Dispatch reported.
While the caucus said it was pleased with Little’s $15 million investment in affordable housing initiatives, members raised concerns about other issues not mentioned in his speech, including:
- Efforts to repeal Medicaid expansion
- Abortion law reform, such as patients receiving appropriate care in cases of medical emergencies
- Child care assistance to low-income families
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